SUMINDA LIYANAGE

I am Suminda Liyanage, a professional culinary educator from Sri Lanka, currently working as a Southeast Asian Culinary teacher at Yunnan Tourism College in Kunming, China, since February 2017 . At this well‑known higher vocational tourism college located on Longquan Road in Wuhua District, I deliver practical and theoretical classes covering Asian food technology, western food technology, western pastry technology, as well as soup‑and‑sauce production for undergraduate and vocational students . Beyond regular classroom and kitchen‑lab teaching, I take part in curriculum development, student skill competitions, and international academic exchange activities. I also serve as deputy chief editor for the Southeast Asian Cuisine textbook published under China’s 14th Five‑Year Plan, collaborating with Chinese colleagues to build high‑quality teaching resources for culinary higher education. Working within the college’s culinary faculty allows me to combine my South Asian culinary heritage with western and Chinese cooking knowledge, helping young learners broaden their global gastronomic vision while improving their hands‑on professional skills. My professional foundation was built through systematic vocational training across multiple institutes in Sri Lanka, starting with my high‑school examinations. I completed Basic Hotel Management and International Cookery with a first‑class pass at the National Youth Services Council (NYSC), which laid my early groundwork for hotel kitchen operations and international cookery practice. Afterwards, I pursued further credentials including professional cookery training at Ceylon Hotel & Tourism School and Ireland‑based Alison platform, alongside City & Guilds International Vocational Qualification diploma in food preparation. I also earned specialized certificates such as professional chocolatier qualification from Canada’s Ecole Chocolat and Sri Lankan NVQ Level 04‑05 certifications for cooking, baking and cake decorating. These multi‑layered qualifications, combined with my past industry experience at Jaic Hilton Tower and long‑term training‑officer service at Sri Lanka’s Vocational Training Authority, shaped me into both a practising chef and a certified vocational assessor, equipping me for my current role as an international culinary educator.